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Edredon Bleu swift to profit from mist opportunity

By Alan Lee, Racing Correspondent

November 5 2003, 12:00am, The Times

EDREDON BLEU and Henrietta Knight are a beguiling combination for anyone with sentiment in their soul and a second successive William Hill Haldon Gold Cup Chase for the pair was noisily acclaimed yesterday. Distant from the cheers, almost obscured by fog on the far side of the paddock, Paul Nicholls scratched his head and wondered what he had done to offend the fates.

Within the past ten days, Nicholls has unveiled three of his elite chasing prospects for the season and all of them have come to grief. Despite the misfortunes of Strong Flow and Valley Henry, Azertyuiop, ante-post favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, started 5-4 for his first race outside novice company — only to lose his unbeaten record over fences when unseating…